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Brooklyn Nets: Will Jeremy Lin Find Success In Brooklyn?

By Andrew Snyder

Apr 8, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; A close up view of Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) hairstyle prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 8, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; A close up view of Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) hairstyle prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jeremy Lin is finally getting his chance to start in the NBA. Will he find success with his former coach Kenny Atkinson and the Brooklyn Nets?

Jeremy Lin is undoubtedly one of the most popular players in the NBA. To this point his NBA career has been a rollercoaster ride with filled with exhilarating highs, but also seasons of uncertainity. The 2015-16 season saw his career get back on the right track.

Last offseason Lin signed a two-year, $4.3 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets (the second year was a player option). That partnership could not have worked out better for Lin and the Hornets.

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Charlotte got an overqualified backup point guard and sixth man for a bargain level price, while Lin got the chance to raise his value after two decent, but frustrating, seasons in Houston and one lost season on the Byron Scott express (my least favorite Tom Hanks movie).

During his stop in Charlotte, Lin averaged 11.7 points and 3.0 assists per game on 41.2 percent shooting and 33.6 percent from three-point range. He served as Kemba Walker’s backup, but also played alongside Walker as a scoring guard in crunch time. His defense was also the best it has ever been — good enough to earn constant praise from Hornets coach Steve Clifford, a noted defensive expert.

Hornet and Lin fans alike will fondly remember performances against Cleveland (24 points, eight assists, five rebounds) and San Antonio (29 points, two assists, seven rebounds) that helped lead Charlotte to improbable victories over two of the NBA’s best teams.

He struggled with efficiency at times, but his contribution to the team was only outweighed by contributions made by Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum. Lin and Marvin Williams were arguably Charlotte’s third most important players last season and without them they would not have won 48 games.

Lin’s performance last season meant that Charlotte could not afford to re-sign him. He wisely opted out of the second year of his contract and became a free agent. That allowed him to sign with the Brooklyn Nets on a three-year, $36 million deal.

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    • He probably could have gotten a bit more money, but signing with Brooklyn gave him the guarantee of being a starting point guard and reunited him with coach Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson coached Lin with the New York Knicks during the “Linsanity” era and is tasked with leading the Nets into their rebuild.

    Lin played only 26.3 minutes per game with the Hornets last season, an average that will surely increase with the Nets. Lin is going to have the ball in hands frequently as Brooklyn’s lead guard and shot creator. That means running pick and roll sets and getting to the rim, his specialty.

    He scored 16.1 points with 4.1 assists per 36 minutes in 2015-16, which suggests that his numbers could improve as his usage rate increases. Lin will almost certainly take more shots next season as Brooklyn’s secondary scoring threat behind Brook Lopez, so it might be unfair to expect his shooting percentages to improve.

    If he scores between 16 and 18 points and hands out 6-8 assists per game, the Nets will live with Lin having field goal percentage just above 40 percent and a three-point percentage just below 35 percent.

    Lin and Brook Lopez will be co-stars on the court and in Brooklyn’s marketing. As general manager Sean Marks and Atkinson begin to move the Nets in a positive direction, Lin will be the face of the franchise. He’s popular, he’s wholesome and he’s better than any point guard Brooklyn had last season. Get ready to see his face all over Brooklyn, hipsters.

    The best-case scenario for this season is that Lin excels in his new role, Brook Lopez stays healthy, the role players exceed expectations, and the Nets make a surprise push towards the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

    If his voracious fans stuff the ballot box, he could even appear in the All-Star game. Of course, that would only happen if he’s voted in. Players like John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Lowry, Isaiah Thomas, and Kemba Walker will be tough to beat out on the coaches’ ballot.

    The worst-case scenario sees Brook Lopez get injured, the role players fail to improve, and Lin struggles under the weight of being Brooklyn’s best player. Brooklyn finishes with the NBA’s worst record and is forced to give their lottery pick to the Boston Celtics.

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    The more likely scenario is that Lin finds personal success, puts up solid numbers, the team struggles to win games, but they are not among the absolute worst teams in the NBA. The starting five will likely consist of Lin, Bojan Bogdanovic, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Luis Scola or Trevor Booker, and Brook Lopez.

    That is a much better lineup than they played last season, but the Eastern Conference is deeper with several teams fighting for playoff spots. Kenny Atkinson is a heck of a coach, so I wouldn’t be shocked if this group overachieved somewhat, but making the playoffs?

    That is a bridge too far, although, you know what former Net Kevin Garnett says. Lin is a nice addition, but he’s not LeBron James. He can only take them so far. The Nets are starting their rebuild the right way and that starts with changing the culture. The player development and winning will come later.

    Linsanity is long over, but “Jeremy Lin, NBA player” still remains. He’s no longer a feel-good story or a case of lightning in a bottle. He’s a solid player and one that will have a long career in this league.

    More hoops habit: Brooklyn Nets: 2016 Offseason Grades

    Lin is finally getting his chance to prove that he can be a full-time starting point guard in the NBA. Can he make the most of that opportunity? We’ll find out soon enough.

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